COST £350 EACH

based on 2 sharing a room (£100 single supplement)

DATES

MAY 01 – MAY 04, 2016

This trip will run with a minimum of 4 participants and a maximum of 6

The Jurassic and Triassic contact at Lavernock Point

The Triassic Dinosaur trackway near Barry

The former Ironworks at the Blaenavon World Heritage Site, where Edward Pritchard Martin , James Cresswell’s great great grandfather used to be the general manager.

Llanthony Priory in the Black Mountains of the Brecon Beacons National Park, a great place to study the Devonian Old Red Sandstone that it is made from.

Bwa Maen a folded anticline, one of the best examples of a Variscan structure in South Wales

Henrhyd waterfall, South Wales’ highest flows over the famous Farewell Rock – the base of the South Wales coalfield

Fossil crinoid at Stack Pole Quay

Folding in the coal measures at Nolton Haven

St. David’s Cathedral, made from purple Cambrian sandstone.

A blue stone directly below the Carn Meini quarry where Stonehenge was believed to be quarried from

DETAILED ITINERARY

Arrive in Cardiff the Capital of Wales. The hotel (to be determined) will be in central Cardiff with easy access to Cardiff train and bus stations. Cardiff is only 2 hours by train from London and there are regular buses directly to Heathrow, Gatwick, Bristol and Cardiff airports.

We depart Cardiff at 9 am and travel to nearby Lavernock Point on the Glamorgan Heritage Coast. Here we can see the Triassic and Jurassic boundary and many fossils. Next we travel to Barry where it is possible to see the best Triassic Dinosaur trackway in Europe. This is followed by a drive up through the former industrial valleys of South Wales to Merthyr Tydfil, on to the Blaenavon World Heritage Site, where we have lunch. Here we also learn how the geology of Wales was responsible for the country being at the forefront of the industrial revolution. We also visit the National Coal Museum where we are able to descend into a coal mine, and we visit the remains of the Iron Works where, GeoWorld Travel Director James Cresswell’s, great great grandfather was the General Manager. We move into the nearbyBrecon Beacons National Parkand head up the beautiful Honddu Valley in the Black Mountains. We pass through Ice Age moraines and more recent landslips to reach Llanthony Priory. This beautiful ruin is built from the local Devonian Old Red Sandstone and we have a great opportunity to study rocks as well as enjoy the historical site. At the head of the Honddu Valley is Gospel Pass, the highest road in the National Park, here we can muse if the Ice Age ice sheet ever poured through this gap, see the site of a former lead mine and drop down into Hay-on-Wye and nearby Velindre for our night at Tara B&B. Tara is James Cresswell’s home and we will give you a wonderful family stay.

After a wonderful breakfast at Tara B&B with eggs from our own chickens, we drive to theForest Fawr Geopark. The Brecon Beacons National Park visitor centre is our first pause where there are also great views of the main glaciated peaks of the Brecon Beacons. We then continue through the scenic Geopark to Porth yr Ogof, the largest cave entrance in Wales, to Pontneddfechan where we can see the Bwa Maen faulted anticline, have lunch and visit the Geopark Visitor Centre. After lunch we visitthe magnificentHenrhyd waterfall. These fallsthe highest in South Wales flow over the Farewell Rock of the South Wales coalfield, and were main famous bySir Edmond Logan, after whom the highest mountain in Canada is named, when he mapped the area and found fossil trees at the base of the falls. Next we drive west through the Geopark with superb views of the Black Mountain, the wildest part of the park and onto Carreg Cennen Castle. which lies on an outlier of limestone caused by faulting. Finally after the castle we transfer down to Pembrokeshire for our night in the medieval walled town of Tenby.

In the morning we head to the impressive cliffs of Skrinkle Haven. Here we can see the Carboniferous / Devonian contact, and the vertical strata of the rocks forming the cliffs. We then head on to Stackpole Quay where folds, faults and fossils can all be found in the Carboniferous Limestone. We then drive on to through Manorbier where Devonian Old Red Sandstone meets the sea, to the Green Arch of Wales (dependent on the military range being open). Following this we head through Pembroke, past its impressive castle to Nolton Haven, where Coal Measures reach the sea. Here very impressive folding and faulting can be seen and, if the tide conditions are right, iron nodules can be seen. A little further up the coast is Druidston Haven, again with fantastic folds and a huge thickness of recent glacial deposits. Finally on our way to Saint David’s we pass the famous fossil site of Porth y Rhaw. Here the rocks are Cambrian in age. This is the site where in 1862 palaeontologist J.W. Salter discovered one of the largest ever trilobites. This trilobite has since been named Paradoxides davidis, and is the exact same species as trilobites found in the rocks of Newfoundland. The night is spent in Saint David’s, Britain’s smallest city and the resting place of Wales’ patron saint, St. David.

Day 4. Northern part of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. Saint David’s Cathedral, Abereiddi Bay, Strumble Head and Carn Meini the source of Stonehenge’s bluestones

Our first point of call is the amazing St David’s Cathedral, a must see visit on any trip to Wales. The Cathedral is made from beautiful purple Cambrian sandstones. We then head to Abereiddi Bay. The Bay is a former slate quarry with a beautiful blue lagoon, graptolites are very common here. The next step is Strumble Head where Ordovician pillow lavas can be seen at low tide. This is followed by Cresswell’s Cafe in Fishguard. After lunch we head to the Preseli Mountains to visit the Pentre Ifan burial chamber and, if the weather conditions allow, a hike up to Carn Meini, the site where the bluestones of Stonehenge originally came from. We then transfer along the scenic Ceredigion coast to the University town of Aberystwyth.

TRAIN TIMES FROM ABERYSTWYTH

Staying an extra night in Aberystwyth is well worth it so you can visit the town and turbidite deposits on the beach. However it is possible to get the train home at the end of day 4.

Depart Aberystwyth at 17:30

Arrival times:

Shrewsbury: 19:26

Cardiff: 22:06

Birmingham New Street: 20:29

London Euston: 22:13

These times were correct at the time of writing. Please check these times yourself before committing to a booking.

NOT INCLUDED IN THIS HOLIDAY

Night 5in Aberystwyth. On request this can be booked but it is possible to travel home by train that night. Times at the bottom of the itinerary.

*Transportation – see box below.

*Due to insurance regulations transportation cannot be part of this holiday. However I am insured to give you a lift from site to site, in exchange for the standard mileage costs. If 4 people join this holiday the estimated cost will be £37 each. If 6 people join then the estimated cost will be £25 each.

DETAILED ITINERARY

The day begins on the North Beach of Aberystwyth right by our Bed and Breakfast. The rocks here are made from Silurian submarine mudslides and are known as turbidites. They are some of the best examples of turbidites anywhere in Britain. Later in the morning we leave Aberystwyth and head to the Silver Mountain silver mine. Here we have lunch and can go underground to explore the former mine workings. We then head to nearbyDevil’s Bridgeand see the 3 bridges on top of each other. We then spend the afternoon on a long scenic drive all the way to Snowdonia. We start by passing through the abandoned mines of Cwmystwyth, through theElan Valley, a beautiful place containing several dams and reservoirs built by the Victorians to provide water for Birmingham. In the valley there are numerous outcrops of mudstones lain down by turbidites in the Ordovician. Our journey then passes through Rhayader and Llanidloes to the Clywedog Dam, here an old lead mine site can be seen. We then take the mountain road to Machynlleth the ancient capital of Wales and cross the Dovey Valley and enterSnowdonia National Park. We stop to admire the fine views of Cadair Idris before pressing on the Victorian slate quarry capital of Blaenau Ffestiniog.

Day 2: Snowdonia National Park. Pass of Llanberis, Summit of Snowdon, Caernarfon World Heritage Site

Our first stop this morning is the Ogwen Step, where a Roman Bridge can be seen hidden right under the main road bridge. Here tuff beds of volcanic ash can be seen and in one bed there are many fossil brachiopods that were killed by a volcanic eruption. Our next destination is the Pass of Llanberis where we can observe the rock close up. Snowdonia was once part of an ancient caldera. We then continue to the village of Llanberis itself, and visit the National Slate Museum and eat lunch. This is followed by the highlight or at least the high point of the trip, the train ride up to the summit of Snowdon itself. At 1085 m above sea level this is the highest point in Wales. The scenery on a clear day is staggeringly beautiful and the summit is a great place to observe the glacial features of the National Park. After descending the summit we visit theWorld Heritage Site of Caernarfon Castlewhere we will stay the night.

Day 3: The West side of GeoMon Geopark in Anglesey: Llanfair P.G.,Llanddwyn Island, South Stack and Holyhead

Today is the first of two days in the GeoMon Geopark on the island of Anglesey. Our day begins with a visit to Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwyll-llantysiliogogogoch, the longest place name in the world of Llanfair P.G> for short! Here we can see Precambrain Blueschist rocks that were formed in a subduction zone. This is followed by a visit the railway station and the famous place name signs. We then head on to Llanddwyn Island which is famous for Precambrian pillow lavas which were extruded as pulses of lava onto the sea bed where they quickly cooled. Spectacular melange, created by an ancient subduction zone can be seen in Pilots Cove at the far end of the Island. The visit to Llanddwyn Island will take most of the day and we will eat a picnic lunch there. We then head on to South Stack. This is an RSPB reserve with spectacular Cambrian folded schists and quartzites which are considered to be world class. We then spend the night in the nearby port of Holyhead, which was founded by the Romans.

Day 4:The East side of GeoMon Geopark in Anglesey: Cemaes Bay, Amlwch Port and Geopark Visitor Centre, Parys Mountain

Cemaes Bay near Llanbadrog contains the oldest rocks in England and Wales. These 800 million year old stromatolites are contained with the melange that was formed by the ancient subduction zone. The next location, Amlwch port hosts the visitor centre for the GeoMon Geopark and the Loft Copper Museum, here too can be seen beautifully folded rocks. Parys Mountain is another highlight of the trip.Here smokers, rising from under the sea bed disseminated copper and other metals into the Silurian-age mudstones on the sea floor. During the 19th century, Parys Mountain was the largest copper producer in the world. The ore was exported from Amlwch Port. When copper prices rise, the mines are to reopen. Mining has taken place sporadically from Bronze Age to present times. We then cross the Menai Strait back to mainland Wales and end the trip in Llandudno

TRAIN TIMES FROM LLANDUDNO JUNCTION

Staying an extra night in Llandudno is well worth it so you can visit the Great OrmeRoman copper mines.

However it is possible to get the train home at the end of day 4.

Depart Llandudno Juction at 17:37

Arrival times:

Shrewsbury: 19:24

Aberystwyth: 21:25

Cardiff: 21:42

London: 21:06

These times were correct at the time of writing. Please check these times yourself before committing to a booking.

NOT INCLUDED IN THIS HOLIDAY

Night 5in Llandudno. On request this can be booked but it is possible to travel home by train that night. Times at the bottom of the itinerary.

*Transportation – see box below.

*Due to insurance regulations transportation cannot be part of this holiday. However I am insured to give you a lift from site to site, in exchange for the standard mileage costs. If 4 people join this holiday the estimated cost will be £37 each. If 6 people join then the estimated cost will be £25 each.

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Our Brecon Beacons holiday is based at Tara B&B, has multiple start dates and allows you to do any combination of our Day Tours and Guided hikes. Our Road Trips have aScenery Explainedtheme, and visit Wales’ most interesting geological sights as well as the well known general sights.

NOT INCLUDED IN THIS HOLIDAY

Night 5in Llandudno. On request this can be booked but it is possible to travel home by train that night. Times at the bottom of the itinerary.

*Transportation – see box below.

*Due to insurance regulations transportation cannot be part of this holiday. However I am insured to give you a lift from site to site, in exchange for the standard mileage costs. If 4 people join this holiday the estimated cost will be £37 each. If 6 people join then the estimated cost will be £25 each.

The Jurassic and Triassic contact at Lavernock Point

The Triassic Dinosaur trackway near Barry

The former Ironworks at the Blaenavon World Heritage Site, where Edward Pritchard Martin , James Cresswell’s great great grandfather used to be the general manager.

Llanthony Priory in the Black Mountains of the Brecon Beacons National Park, a great place to study the Devonian Old Red Sandstone that it is made from.

Bwa Maen a folded anticline, one of the best examples of a Variscan structure in South Wales

Henrhyd waterfall, South Wales’ highest flows over the famous Farewell Rock – the base of the South Wales coalfield

Fossil crinoid at Stack Pole Quay

Folding in the coal measures at Nolton Haven

St. David’s Cathedral, made from purple Cambrian sandstone.

The Elan Valley

The Ogwen Step, with Roman Bridge under the modern bridge. At this site fossil brachiopods can be seen.

Ride the train to the summit of Wales, Mount Snowdon. This great mountain is made from volcanic rock that erupted in the Ordovician and has been sculpted by glaciers in the Ice Ages

Caernarfon Castle part of the Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd World Heritage Site

Llanfair P.G. in the GeoMon Geopark in Anglesey, the longest place name in the world and home to blueschist rocks that were formed in ancient subduction zone

The GeoMon Geopark visitor centre at Amlwch Port

Parys Mountain in the 19th Century this was the largest copper mine in the world.

DETAILED ITINERARY

Arrive in Cardiff the Capital of Wales. The hotel (to be determined) will be in central Cardiff with easy access to Cardiff train and bus stations. Cardiff is only 2 hours by train from London and there are regular buses directly to Heathrow, Gatwick, Bristol and Cardiff airports.

We depart Cardiff at 9 am and travel to nearby Lavernock Point on the Glamorgan Heritage Coast. Here we can see the Triassic and Jurassic boundary and many fossils. Next we travel to Barry where it is possible to see the best Triassic Dinosaur trackway in Europe. This is followed by a drive up through the former industrial valleys of South Wales to Merthyr Tydfil, on to the Blaenavon World Heritage Site, where we have lunch. Here we also learn how the geology of Wales was responsible for the country being at the forefront of the industrial revolution. We also visit the National Coal Museum where we are able to descend into a coal mine, and we visit the remains of the Iron Works where, GeoWorld Travel Director James Cresswell’s, great great grandfather was the General Manager. We move into the nearbyBrecon Beacons National Parkand head up the beautiful Honddu Valley in the Black Mountains. We pass through Ice Age moraines and more recent landslips to reach Llanthony Priory. This beautiful ruin is built from the local Devonian Old Red Sandstone and we have a great opportunity to study rocks as well as enjoy the historical site. At the head of the Honddu Valley is Gospel Pass, the highest road in the National Park, here we can muse if the Ice Age ice sheet ever poured through this gap, see the site of a former lead mine and drop down into Hay-on-Wye and nearby Velindre for our night at Tara B&B. Tara is James Cresswell’s home and we will give you a wonderful family stay.

After a wonderful breakfast at Tara B&B with eggs from our own chickens, we drive to theForest Fawr Geopark. The Brecon Beacons National Park visitor centre is our first pause where there are also great views of the main glaciated peaks of the Brecon Beacons. We then continue through the scenic Geopark to Porth yr Ogof, the largest cave entrance in Wales, to Pontneddfechan where we can see the Bwa Maen faulted anticline, have lunch and visit the Geopark Visitor Centre. After lunch we visitthe magnificentHenrhyd waterfall. These fallsthe highest in South Wales flow over the Farewell Rock of the South Wales coalfield, and were main famous bySir Edmond Logan, after whom the highest mountain in Canada is named, when he mapped the area and found fossil trees at the base of the falls. Next we drive west through the Geopark with superb views of the Black Mountain, the wildest part of the park and onto Carreg Cennen Castle. which lies on an outlier of limestone caused by faulting. Finally after the castle we transfer down to Pembrokeshire for our night in the medieval walled town of Tenby.

In the morning we head to the impressive cliffs of Skrinkle Haven. Here we can see the Carboniferous / Devonian contact, and the vertical strata of the rocks forming the cliffs. We then head on to Stackpole Quay where folds, faults and fossils can all be found in the Carboniferous Limestone. We then drive on to through Manorbier where Devonian Old Red Sandstone meets the sea, to the Green Arch of Wales (dependent on the military range being open). Following this we head through Pembroke, past its impressive castle to Nolton Haven, where Coal Measures reach the sea. Here very impressive folding and faulting can be seen and, if the tide conditions are right, iron nodules can be seen. A little further up the coast is Druidston Haven, again with fantastic folds and a huge thickness of recent glacial deposits. Finally on our way to Saint David’s we pass the famous fossil site of Porth y Rhaw. Here the rocks are Cambrian in age. This is the site where in 1862 palaeontologist J.W. Salter discovered one of the largest ever trilobites. This trilobite has since been named Paradoxides davidis, and is the exact same species as trilobites found in the rocks of Newfoundland. The night is spent in Saint David’s, Britain’s smallest city and the resting place of Wales’ patron saint, St. David.

Day 4. Northern part of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. Saint David’s Cathedral, Abereiddi Bay, Strumble Head and Carn Meini the source of Stonehenge’s bluestones

Our first point of call is the amazing St David’s Cathedral, a must see visit on any trip to Wales. The Cathedral is made from beautiful purple Cambrian sandstones. We then head to Abereiddi Bay. The Bay is a former slate quarry with a beautiful blue lagoon, graptolites are very common here. The next step is Strumble Head where Ordovician pillow lavas can be seen at low tide. This is followed by Cresswell’s Cafe in Fishguard. After lunch we head to the Preseli Mountains to visit the Pentre Ifan burial chamber and, if the weather conditions allow, a hike up to Carn Meini, the site where the bluestones of Stonehenge originally came from. We then transfer along the scenic Ceredigion coast to the University town of Aberystwyth.

The day begins on the North Beach of Aberystwyth right by our Bed and Breakfast. The rocks here are made from Silurian submarine mudslides and are known as turbidites. They are some of the best examples of turbidites anywhere in Britain. Later in the morning we leave Aberystwyth and head to the Silver Mountain silver mine. Here we have lunch and can go underground to explore the former mine workings. We then head to nearbyDevil’s Bridgeand see the 3 bridges on top of each other. We then spend the afternoon on a long scenic drive all the way to Snowdonia. We start by passing through the abandoned mines of Cwmystwyth, through theElan Valley, a beautiful place containing several dams and reservoirs built by the Victorians to provide water for Birmingham. In the valley there are numerous outcrops of mudstones lain down by turbidites in the Ordovician. Our journey then passes through Rhayader and Llanidloes to the Clywedog Dam, here an old lead mine site can be seen. We then take the mountain road to Machynlleth the ancient capital of Wales and cross the Dovey Valley and enterSnowdonia National Park. We stop to admire the fine views of Cadair Idris before pressing on the Victorian slate quarry capital of Blaenau Ffestiniog.

Day 6: Snowdonia National Park. Pass of Llanberis, Summit of Snowdon, Caernarfon World Heritage Site

Our first stop this morning is the Ogwen Step, where a Roman Bridge can be seen hidden right under the main road bridge. Here tuff beds of volcanic ash can be seen and in one bed there are many fossil brachiopods that were killed by a volcanic eruption. Our next destination is the Pass of Llanberis where we can observe the rock close up. Snowdonia was once part of an ancient caldera. We then continue to the village of Llanberis itself, and visit the National Slate Museum and eat lunch. This is followed by the highlight or at least the high point of the trip, the train ride up to the summit of Snowdon itself. At 1085 m above sea level this is the highest point in Wales. The scenery on a clear day is staggeringly beautiful and the summit is a great place to observe the glacial features of the National Park. After descending the summit we visit theWorld Heritage Site of Caernarfon Castlewhere we will stay the night.

Day 7: The West side of GeoMon Geopark in Anglesey: Llanfair P.G.,Llanddwyn Island, South Stack and Holyhead

Today is the first of two days in the GeoMon Geopark on the island of Anglesey. Our day begins with a visit to Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwyll-llantysiliogogogoch, the longest place name in the world of Llanfair P.G> for short! Here we can see Precambrain Blueschist rocks that were formed in a subduction zone. This is followed by a visit the railway station and the famous place name signs. We then head on to Llanddwyn Island which is famous for Precambrian pillow lavas which were extruded as pulses of lava onto the sea bed where they quickly cooled. Spectacular melange, created by an ancient subduction zone can be seen in Pilots Cove at the far end of the Island. The visit to Llanddwyn Island will take most of the day and we will eat a picnic lunch there. We then head on to South Stack. This is an RSPB reserve with spectacular Cambrian folded schists and quartzites which are considered to be world class. We then spend the night in the nearby port of Holyhead, which was founded by the Romans.

Day 8:The East side of GeoMon Geopark in Anglesey: Cemaes Bay, Amlwch Port and Geopark Visitor Centre, Parys Mountain

Cemaes Bay near Llanbadrog contains the oldest rocks in England and Wales. These 800 million year old stromatolites are contained with the melange that was formed by the ancient subduction zone. The next location, Amlwch port hosts the visitor centre for the GeoMon Geopark and the Loft Copper Museum, here too can be seen beautifully folded rocks. Parys Mountain is another highlight of the trip.Here smokers, rising from under the sea bed disseminated copper and other metals into the Silurian-age mudstones on the sea floor. During the 19th century, Parys Mountain was the largest copper producer in the world. The ore was exported from Amlwch Port. When copper prices rise, the mines are to reopen. Mining has taken place sporadically from Bronze Age to present times. We then cross the Menai Strait back to mainland Wales and end the trip in Llandudno

TRAIN TIMES FROM LLANDUDNO JUNCTION

Staying an extra night in Llandudno is well worth it so you can visit the Great OrmeRoman copper mines.

However it is possible to get the train home at the end of day 4.

Depart Llandudno Juction at 17:37

Arrival times:

Shrewsbury: 19:24

Aberystwyth: 21:25

Cardiff: 21:42

London: 21:06

These times were correct at the time of writing. Please check these times yourself before committing to a booking.

INCLUDED

NOT INCLUDED

*Transportation

*Due to insurance regulations transportation cannot be part of these tours. However I am insured to give you a lift from site to site in exchange for the standard mileage costs, this will be just a few pounds each. My vehicle can take up to 4 passengers alternatively I am happy to travel with you in your vehicle.

INCLUDED

NOT INCLUDED

*Transportation

*Due to insurance regulations transportation cannot be part of these tours. However I am insured to give you a lift from site to site in exchange for the standard mileage costs, this will be just a few pounds each. My vehicle can take up to 4 passengers alternatively I am happy to travel with you in your vehicle.

INCLUDED

NOT INCLUDED

*Transportation

*Due to insurance regulations transportation cannot be part of these tours. However I am insured to give you a lift from site to site in exchange for the standard mileage costs, this will be just a few pounds each. My vehicle can take up to 4 passengers alternatively I am happy to travel with you in your vehicle.

INCLUDED

NOT INCLUDED

*Transportation

*Due to insurance regulations transportation cannot be part of these tours. However I am insured to give you a lift from site to site in exchange for the standard mileage costs, this will be just a few pounds each. My vehicle can take up to 4 passengers alternatively I am happy to travel with you in your vehicle.